Michael -- Thanks so much for recommending
Letters to Sala. There have been over a hundred and fifty productions in the past eight years. Sala's daughter Ann Kirshner and I make ourselves available to zoom with schools whenever possible. The play is licensed through Dramatists Play Service and streaming rights are available. Ann's book
Sala's Gift is a great resource and there is a website with helpful material:
https://www.letterstosala.comWith 28 speaking roles, mostly women, and flexible staging, the play can be performed minimally or with elaborate staging. Sala's family and I encourage diversity in casting and with doubling the play can be performed with as few as 12 actors or, with additions to the group scenes, over 30.
I'm happy to send an updated copy of the script to anyone who asks. Email me at
arlene@barrowgroup.org. I have a 45-50 minute version, too, created for the Sewanee Young Writers Conference.
The updated script was recently published by Abrams:
https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/letters-to-sala_9781468316032/I'm forever grateful to the teachers who have produced this play and for the emails letting me know how meaningful it was to their community. And especially to the students and teachers I've met at playwriting workshops and books signings at the International Thespian Conference in 2018, 2019 and 2022.
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Arlene Hutton, playwright
Letters to Sala
I Dream Before I Take the Stand
Kissed the Girls & Made Them Cry
As It Is In Heaven
Susie Sits Shiva (EdTA commission)
faculty, The Barrow Group, NYC
arlene@barrowgroup.org------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 07-30-2022 13:47
From: Michael Bergman
Subject: Spring Drana
Letters to Sala. Based on a true story. When Sala, about to go into the hospital for a serious surgery, presents a box filled with letters to her daughter, the family begins to piece together Sala's unspoken past. The hundreds of letters were collected by Sala when she was in labor camps during WWII. The play not only flashes back to Sala's past but also focuses on the family's struggle to decide what to do with these historically valuable but very personal letters. A very moving story with a large, mostly female cast and plenty of opportunities for your actors to do research. The playwright, Arlene Hutton, is very accessible and happy to communicate with the cast.
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Michael Bergman
Teacher/Director (retired)
He/Him/His
Alexandria, VA
Original Message:
Sent: 07-29-2022 10:21
From: Sheila Newton
Subject: Spring Drana
Hi,
In the past, my 9-12th graders performed 33 Variations and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.
Best wishes for a great school year!
Sheila
Sent from my iPhone
Original Message:
Sent: 7/28/2022 10:21:00 AM
From: Michael Stofko
Subject: Spring Drana
I need suggestions for a Spring Drama. We have done comedies in the past. I want to give my kids experience with a serious, dramatic piece.